Hyacinth: Your honest opinion

I was on youtube today watching random bird videos and i looked at the comments and i was kinda surprised ( I forget not everybody's a bird person)
And there where so many people outraged that people buy them as pets. One person went as far as to tell people that if they saw them in pet stores to report them to WWF. What is everyone's honest opinion? I personal don't believe its wrong. If someone can afford such a beautiful bird and has the time and the room for one and experience I think its great. They go for $13,000 here.

Well this is a parrot forum so obviously the vast majority believe in keeping parrots as pets, and the same goes for a hycanith. As long as you can provide the proper care and attention then they are fine as pets. However, if you're goin to get one to trap in a cage and give. I freedom then no.

People have been captivated by parrots for 1000s of years. We appreciate their ability to talk to us in our own language, their intelligence, playfulness and they can be as cuddly as a cat or dog.

If you provide proper care, mental stimulation, exercise and love, the birds seem to truly enjoy us as well.

Pete may have come out of the jungle at some point, but these days he loves to talk, cuddle with me, eat my food and watch TV, lol! I don't think he misses it, I really don't. When I take him outside he usually gets pretty frightened actually.

Like everyone has said, if properly cared for, any animal is a good pet, especially birds. As for Hys, they are big birds, and need specific conditions to thrive. Other than initial cost, the space requirements are an issue. Basically they are much like other Macaws. Though, not a bird for inexperienced guardians. If you aren't going to do the research, and follow through with proper care, you shouldn't get any animal.

I do not support extremist groups like PETA, but, actually, I have to confess that they do have some points. All species evolved in their natural habitats and should be left IN their natural habitats to play their natural roles in the natural scheme of things. Let's say I buy an animal as a pet. No matter how well I look after this animal, and no matter how lucky this animal is to have the opportunity to live a comfy and pampered life under my ownership, the underlying fact remains that I bought this animal for MY reasons. The decision-making process was all mine, mine and mine. One point of view is that, in fact, we have no ethical right to unilaterally impose the outcomes of OUR decision-making processes onto creatures who had no say DURING the processes. One point of view is that, even if I am not BUYING an animal for a pet, but just rescuing one, eg, a wild bird which was hit by a car and is lying on the side of the road IN PAIN, suffering from a broken wing, that I have gone too far and have overstepped the limits of where my rights end, and intruded beyond the limits of where another's rights begin. One point of view is that, even if there are clear benefits to the individual animal being rescued, the extent of the benefits to this one individual do not outweigh the extent of the infringements upon the right of the whole species to exist in its own natural habitat. Considered in this light, our ethical responsibility to other species would be to let them continue to play their own roles in their own habitats, and if we, as humans, need to do anything to help, it would be to prevent these habitats from being affected by human activities. It is when the rights of the entire species are being considered, rather than the rights of individual specimens of that species, that the PETA slogan of "Better dead than bred!" has some validity. When humans make animals their pets, this activity is un-natural. A case can be made that the entire human species is no longer natural. Our relationship with the rest of the universe is that of a parasite. We consider all the plants, animals, minerals, petrochemicals, fossil fuels, even solar, wind and tidal energy, all to be for OUR, OUR, OUR and OUR benefit. If we take the position that we are cancer cells on Mother Nature, then we SHOULD work very hard to come up with a medicine that will wipe out these cancer cells from Mother Nature's body. I used the word, "SHOULD", because I don't. I am one of the cancer cells with a huge voracious appetite for consuming and devouring the universe. This is quite sad, I know. It can be even called the tragedy that is the human condition.

If they're bred in captivity and you have the funds, room etc... I can't see anything wrong with it...

BUT... birds pulled from their wild nests for the pet trade - oh.. don't get me started on that...

BillsBirds said:

Like everyone has said, if properly cared for, any animal is a good pet, especially birds.

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I would just like to point out that this is insanely FALSE, especially for birds! Parrots, even if bred in captivity, are not domesticated animals. They are still wild. Why else do we still see plenty of birds who are well-cared for but still pluck their feathers? Further, the simple fact that many/most of them require such specialized care means that they aren't very good pets.

Any animal can thrive in captivity with the proper care (for the most part). But that doesn't not mean they would make good pets. It just means zoos aren't inhumane. Saying "any animal is a good pet" is almost dangerously untrue, imo.

Hyacinth macaws would normally need more specialized needs when kept as pet birds, compared to the average parrot, but if the hyacinth macaw has chosen you to be its guardian, then it will adapt and fit in with your circumstances without any problems, if you want to cuddle up next to its blue smiley face enough.

The breeder I got Bongo from has a hyacinth. Its the most beautiful bird, and shes very very smart and funny. She was bred in captivity and she is 2 years old. She's for sale, and she has a lot of interested buyers from all over the country. HE REFUSES to sell her to just anyone. If she doesn't like them, he wont sell her. If they do not pass his initial application, he wont sell her. If they don't know how to handle her, he wont sell her. $15,000 is what he is asking for her and that is a lot of money and people want to pay it. He could do a lot for his little bird store with that. But he refuses to put that bird (or any bird for that matter) in a home that is not good for it.

Whats the difference between hyacinth and parakeet anyway? All things created should be treated with the same respect and love. No one should ever take on a pet without the proper knowledge of it wheather it be hyacinth mccaw or the smallest insect.

Well, we could almost argue that at this point, parakeets (I assume you mean budgies) are domesticated now. We have bred them now for quite a few generations, although still not nearly as long as dogs, cats, horses or many other things.

Yes, Pete is wild caught, and I do not know for sure at what age. Too old to get a closed band on, but that's all I know. I certainly don't advocate that and agree with the US ban on them. He is, however, a very good bird. It seems to me he'd much rather watch Criminal Minds on TV than go outside, lol! Actually every time I take him outside he gets pretty frightened and worried.

lene1949 said:

If they're bred in captivity and you have the funds, room etc... I can't see anything wrong with it...

BUT... birds pulled from their wild nests for the pet trade - oh.. don't get me started on that...

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^ my thoughts exactly. i wouldn't get a hyacinth myself though.

My honest opinion, I don't think birds should be in captivity at all. I don't think they should be bred in captivity either. There are literately thousands in rescues in the US and we keep breeding more and more of them, just for them to keep ending up there. Everyone wants a baby. The average person that buys a baby bird is in their 30's or older. If that baby stays with its first owner, 80% don't (I would guess that the percentage is even higher than that), it will out live that owner. Then it will either go into a new home (or more than likely several) or into a rescue if it can't adapt to its new environment. When I see a baby Too (or any parrot for that matter), I don't think of how cute it is, I think of how many homes that poor baby is going to have to through in its life span. I think of it getting its wings clipped (for it's 'safety') and kept primarily in a cage for the majority of its life. The AVERAGE house for a parrot is a working environment, the bird is caged during the day while people are at work and then gets let out for a few hours. What kind of life is that for an animal that is supposed to be flying constantly, living with a mate (that they have for LIFE), living in large social flocks, raising babies, and constantly problem solving. We deny our birds everything it is to be a bird when we have them in captivity. No matter how good a home is, that bird will ALWAYS have something missing in its life that it would have had in the wild. We have taken a highly intelligent animal from the wild and we keep it for our own fulfillment and entertainment. If we really put the birds well being above our own then there would be none in captivity. I think its selfish of a human to take freedom away from an animal for our own gain. Bred in captivity or not, if it would of been born in the wild then it would of been happier. Unfortunately they don't get to make that decision, we do it for them.

Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy having Rome but if it were even remotely possible to re-hab them and return them to the wild I would (which is impossible). I think that there are a lot of homes that provide a really good life for a bird but the sad truth is that the majority don't (just cruz through craigs list and see what you find). My goal as a parrot owner (and to Rome) is to try to recreate the most realistic environment possible, next to being in the wild. I feel that as long as there is a bird in a rescue that there is no reason to be breeding.

P.S. Personal opinion, please don't take offense. I don't look down on people that do breed or that do purchase babies. Its just how I feel.

Well, therein lies the problem. They are already here, being hand raised and they can't be returned to the wild. Yes, I think there are too many birds for the number of homes and owners who can actually deal with them. There are also too many cats and dogs out there. And in some places in the world there are too many people and they starve to death, too, or die from unnecessary diseases. What can be done though?

I try to educate new parrot owners and help them understand what to expect, but more often than not, they don't want to hear it and get mad at those of us who want to inform them. Sometimes in life we have to make our own mistakes, and aren't willing to listen to others who try to warn us. Yes, when they bring home an animal that they aren't equipped to handle, another life is affected. But, we also often affect others' lives with our other mistakes even if we didn't mean to. If we have an accident participating in a risky activity, others will mourn us if we die from it, or they will have to help us take care of ourselves while we recover from our injuries.

I'm starting to find most people don't really want my opinion when it comes to choosing a bird companion. So I think from this point on I will not offer it, and just try to help after it's there and they need it.

Personally, I think that if the species in question is severely endangered in the wild they should not be bred or sold for the private pet trade. I believe we should be focusing on captive breeding and returning to the wild to help rebuild the population. Of course, traditional pet breeding is not what I'm talking about here, I assume the parents would need to be kept in a large outdoor aviary and the babies be completely parent raised. If the babies are parent raised and in an environment where they are able to learn everything they need to know to live wild, why couldn't they be introduced to the wild when they are weaned?

Look at the wild quaker and conure populations all over the US, those birds started from pets that got loose.

IcyWolf said:

Personally, I think that if the species in question is severely endangered in the wild they should not be bred or sold for the private pet trade. I believe we should be focusing on captive breeding and returning to the wild to help rebuild the population. Of course, traditional pet breeding is not what I'm talking about here, I assume the parents would need to be kept in a large outdoor aviary and the babies be completely parent raised. If the babies are parent raised and in an environment where they are able to learn everything they need to know to live wild, why couldn't they be introduced to the wild when they are weaned?

Look at the wild quaker and conure populations all over the US, those birds started from pets that got loose.

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There are lots of captive breeding programs for various endangered species. As long as the offspring don't get imprinted on people, they could be successful in the wild.
I think I agree with you on not allowing birds like these into the pet trade. It could encourage wild culling- I mean, once a bird is here, it's not necessarily easy to tell the difference between wild-caught and captive-bred (at least for someone trying to police that). While a ban wouldn't eliminate demand for the species, it might reduce it.
That, and many captive breeding programs suffer from low genetic diversity. Breeders might well be reluctant to offer their animals into the program to help that.

roxynoodle said:

Well, therein lies the problem. They are already here, being hand raised and they can't be returned to the wild. Yes, I think there are too many birds for the number of homes and owners who can actually deal with them. There are also too many cats and dogs out there. And in some places in the world there are too many people and they starve to death, too, or die from unnecessary diseases. What can be done though?

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I think all we can do is attempt to educate people. It's slowly starting to help with the dog/cat problems - especially spay/neuter programs- but not as many people are aware that there's a problem with pet parrots as well.
(also remember it's almost Easter... shelters all over the US are about to be flooded with bunnies- the lucky bunnies who don't get "set free." Another problem not as many people are aware of)

Cliffordsmom said:

Whats the difference between hyacinth and parakeet anyway? All things created should be treated with the same respect and love. No one should ever take on a pet without the proper knowledge of it wheather it be hyacinth mccaw or the smallest insect.

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While I definitely agree with you, you can't deny that it's much easier to give a parakeet a happy, healthy life than a hyacinth.

roxynoodle said:

Well, we could almost argue that at this point, parakeets (I assume you mean budgies) are domesticated now. We have bred them now for quite a few generations, although still not nearly as long as dogs, cats, horses or many other things.

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Well, being captive bred for generations doesn't necessarily mean domesticated. People selected desirable traits for domestic animals and livestock, but I'm not sure how much that's been done for parakeets (besides color morphs).


Personally, I accept most parrot species as pets, but I wish there were more stringent regulations for obtaining them (in the US, at least). I think cockatoos should be outright banned, as they seem to be the most susceptible to behavioral problems in captivity. I'm a little torn on the issue of very endangered species, like the hyacinth (as I suggested above talking about captive breeding programs)

Molcan2 said:

My honest opinion, I don't think birds should be in captivity at all. I don't think they should be bred in captivity either. There are literately thousands in rescues in the US and we keep breeding more and more of them, just for them to keep ending up there. Everyone wants a baby. The average person that buys a baby bird is in their 30's or older. If that baby stays with its first owner, 80% don't (I would guess that the percentage is even higher than that), it will out live that owner. Then it will either go into a new home (or more than likely several) or into a rescue if it can't adapt to its new environment. When I see a baby Too (or any parrot for that matter), I don't think of how cute it is, I think of how many homes that poor baby is going to have to through in its life span. I think of it getting its wings clipped (for it's 'safety') and kept primarily in a cage for the majority of its life. The AVERAGE house for a parrot is a working environment, the bird is caged during the day while people are at work and then gets let out for a few hours. What kind of life is that for an animal that is supposed to be flying constantly, living with a mate (that they have for LIFE), living in large social flocks, raising babies, and constantly problem solving. We deny our birds everything it is to be a bird when we have them in captivity. No matter how good a home is, that bird will ALWAYS have something missing in its life that it would have had in the wild. We have taken a highly intelligent animal from the wild and we keep it for our own fulfillment and entertainment. If we really put the birds well being above our own then there would be none in captivity. I think its selfish of a human to take freedom away from an animal for our own gain. Bred in captivity or not, if it would of been born in the wild then it would of been happier. Unfortunately they don't get to make that decision, we do it for them.

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Very well said.

I was just in Puerto Rico and there is a Hyacinth living inside the El Conquistador resort in Fajardo (we didn't stay there-- just went in to check it out).

I have to admit: I get a strange feeling when it comes to hyacinths. this is based on nothing other than my own instinct and preference, but they seem SO enormous and out of place in captivity. This one had a absolutely huge cage, but he really did not seem like a content bird (again, totally anecdotal and based on my brief observation).

I've seen a few others in captivity-- mostly in stores, and I get the same feeling. But I've heard they have really calm temperaments. Maybe if I lived in the tropics and it could live in a very natural environment, I could see it as a good thing. Like a lenai with tons trees and lush greens.

osnyder said:

I was just in Puerto Rico and there is a Hyacinth living inside the El Conquistador resort in Fajardo (we didn't stay there-- just went in to check it out).

I have to admit: I get a strange feeling when it comes to hyacinths. this is based on nothing other than my own instinct and preference, but they seem SO enormous and out of place in captivity. This one had a absolutely huge cage, but he really did not seem like a content bird (again, totally anecdotal and based on my brief observation).

I've seen a few others in captivity-- mostly in stores, and I get the same feeling. But I've heard they have really calm temperaments. Maybe if I lived in the tropics and it could live in a very natural environment, I could see it as a good thing. Like a lenai with tons trees and lush greens.

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Well, if you decide to move somewhere like that let me know! I'll go with you and help take care of the birds! hehe

Its a difficult discussion among all animal lovers.... I honestly feel that parrots do not belong in the pet trade. All parrots have needs that we can not reasonably meet. Flight is not something that birds happily live without, yet most birds are never allowed to fly, foraging toys are great but are limited in comparison to what is available in the wild. I foster and have adopted unwanted birds and love them dearly. I am grateful for what they have to offer, but wish they didn't have need of rescue. These animals are not able to have a life that gives them an honest chance at happiness. It is true that many birds are sweet and make decent pets,its just not fair that we do this to them. I will keep offering homes to birds in need until the day that they don't need me.